Paris (France) (AFP) – Airbus said Monday it delivered 793 commercial aircraft in 2025, a slight increase from the previous year but falling short of its initial ambitions due to a manufacturing problem. The European manufacturer had originally targeted a seven percent increase in deliveries of commercial aircraft to airlines, but fuselage panel quality issues on its flagship A320 model contributed to holding back the gain to four percent.
Both Airbus and its rival Boeing have struggled to return to pre-pandemic production levels as their entire network of suppliers was disrupted, even as airlines are eager to modernise their fleets with more fuel-efficient aircraft and expand to meet an expected increase in passenger numbers over the coming decades. Airbus still has considerable ground to cover to reach the 863 aircraft it delivered in 2019, the year before the pandemic upended the global economy.
Investors keep a close eye on delivery figures as airlines pay the majority of the price of aircraft upon taking delivery, making it a key element in the financial performance. Airbus received 1,000 orders for planes in 2025, with its order book rising by 889 after taking cancellations into account, to a record 8,754 aircraft. The A320 family of medium-haul, single-aisle aircraft received the largest number of orders at 656.
Boeing was scheduled to publish its annual delivery and order figures on Tuesday. The US manufacturer delivered 537 aircraft in the first 11 months of the year, its best result for that period since 2018, before the crashes of two 737 MAX aircraft sent the company into a crisis. Boeing is coming off a particularly difficult 2024, during which it delivered just 348 commercial planes due to labour disruptions and safety setbacks hobbling production.
Analysts forecast Boeing will end up having delivered between 590 and 610 aircraft in 2025. Boeing also enjoyed a solid 2025 in terms of orders due to the aggressive trade policies of US President Donald Trump’s administration. It had 999 net orders as of the end of November. It had 6,616 commercial aircraft on its order book, including 4,319 for the 737 MAX, the latest model of its medium-haul, single-aisle aircraft that along with the A320 are the workhorses of the commercial airline industry.
© 2024 AFP
